The book is something of a satire on the neutered lives of the very rich in late 19th century New York, but it masquerades as a love story. Newland Archer wants to marry the perfect and innocent May Welland--his social equal, but once her hot, scandalous cousin comes to town, Archer switches loyalties immediately.  He wrestles with his feelings, and we get to meet the high society characters that surround and judge them, but the ending is pretty excellent. I admit to being bored in the middle, but ultimately, I like Wharton's take on the hypocrisy of this age. The protagonist is certainly not any hero, but his flaws help elucidate the novel's theme. (Megan, by the way, doesn't buy any of this).

Some memorable lines about opera:
“She sang, of course, "M'ama!" and not "he loves me," since an unalterable and unquestioned law of the musical world required that the German text of French operas sung by Swedish artists should be translated into Italian for the clearer understanding of English-speaking audiences.”

Robert--5
Charity--4
Kim--3
Megan--1

Her inward journey is what we care less about. She ties the roots of her hike to her mother's death four years previous and her recent divorce from a marriage she ruined by straying. Hiking the PCT is supposed to be her salvation, to fix her. If it had, it would probably have been a more satisfying story.

Warning: Salty language, gory foot scenes, sex, death, and cannibalism.